Transcript FERPA Training Workshop

FERPA:
Family
Educational Rights
and Privacy Act
What is FERPA?

It stands for the Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.

Also known as the Buckley
Amendment.

FERPA is enforced by the Family
Policy Compliance Office of the U.S.
Department of Education.
FERPA is not:
A law that only pertains to
public institutions.
A law that is only applicable
to offices that handle grades.
Rights granted to Students
under FERPA include:

The right to inspect and review their own
education records.
 The right to request to amend their
education records.
 The right to have some control over the
disclosure of information from the
education records.
 The right to file a complaint with the
Dept. of Ed.
What are Education Records?


All records that
directly relate to a
student and are
maintained by an
institution.
These records can be
in any media form:
handwritten, print,
tape, film, electronic,
etc.
What Education Records are
not:

“Sole Possession Records”– personal notes kept
by a faculty/staff member as a memory aid if not
shared with anyone else

Law Enforcement Records – maintained solely
for law enforcement purposes & revealed only to
law enforcement agencies.

Employment Records – of those whose
employment is not contingent upon being a
student.
What Education Records are not:
continued

Medical Records - created by a health care
professional used only for the medical/health
treatment of the student.

Alumni Records – most information collected
after the student has left the institution
(donations, etc).

Classroom activity and homework that does
not become part of the student’s permanent
record.
Why Comply with FERPA?
It’s the Law!
 Failure to comply could result in the
withholding of federal funds including
student Financial Aid.
 Lawsuits caused by violations cost time
and $$$.
 It is our ethical responsibility to hold
student records in confidence in order to
protect their privacy.

Who is and is not covered under
FERPA?

Students who are or have been in
attendance at a postsecondary institution
and for whom the institution maintains
education records are covered under
FERPA.
 Applicants who are denied admission or
who never attend are not covered under
FERPA.
When do FERPA rights begin for a
student?
When the student is “in attendance” as
defined by the institution.
For Regent University that means the
student is registered for at least one class
at 12:01 a.m. on the first day of the
student’s first term, as determined by the
official university academic calendar.
What information might need to
be handled in a secure way?
Any part of a student’s record that is not listed
as “directory” information.
Registration forms
Financial Information
Social Security Numbers
Transcripts

Student information displayed on your computer screen
 Grades
 Student schedules
 Class assignments
 Class Rosters
What information can be
released?

Directory Information (unless the student has
placed a confidentiality block on his/her record).

Information that the student has given written
consent to release.

Information needed by employees who have a
legitimate educational interest.

Information needed by certain government
agencies.
Forward all requests for student information to
the Registrar’s Office!
What is “directory
information”?
It is information that may be released
without the student’s written consent
(unless they have placed a
confidentiality hold on their record).
Institutions determine what they will
classify as directory information.
Directory Information at Regent
University includes:











Name
Address
E-mail address
Telephone number
Date and Place of Birth
Major Field of Study
Dates of Attendance
Degrees and Awards Received
Most Recent Previous Institution Attended
Photograph
Participation in Officially Recognized Activities
Providing Directory
Information
In order to protect the privacy of our
students, Regent University
generally does not provide lists of
directory information to outside
parties.
Please forward all requests for such
information to the Registrar’s Office.
Who can access
Non-Directory Student
Information?

ONLY Regent University employees
who have a legitimate educational
interest.
Legitimate Educational Interest: A school
official’s “need to know” information from a
student’s education record in order to fulfill job
responsibilities
Who else can access NonDirectory Student Information?
FIRST, Remember to forward all requests
for student information to the Registrar’s
Office!
 Financial Aid Lenders.
 Agents of the court when the
college has been issued a
subpoena or court order.
 Schools in which the student seeks
to enroll
Access to Non-Directory Student
Information, continued
 Certain State & Federal Agencies.
 Appropriate individuals in an
emergency in order to protect the health
& safety of the student or other
persons.
 Under the Solomon Amendment –
military recruiters.
Access to Non-Directory
Student Information, cont.

Under FERPA parents may obtain nondirectory information (grades, GPA, etc.)
if the child is a legal dependent or the
student gives written consent; however…
 At Regent no one, including parents and
spouses, may obtain non-directory
information without written consent from
the student.
TAKE NOTE:

Access to student records via Genisys or
other computer software does not
authorize unrestricted use of that
information.

Information on a computer should be
treated with the same confidentiality as a
paper record.

Curiosity is not a valid reason to view
student information.

Records should only be used in the context
of official business.
REMEMBER!
When in doubt – don’t
give it out!
Forward all requests for student
information to the Registrar’s
Office!
IMPORTANT
REMINDERS!!!!
 Do
not leave confidential information
displayed on an unattended computer.
 Cover or put away papers that contain
confidential information when you
step away from your desk.
 Verify
identity before discussing
protected information with a student by
phone. (see FERPA FAQs document to
learn how)
 Only
use students’ Regent email
address when emailing protected
information.
 Hide
recipients’ names using the Bcc
field when emailing non-directory
information to groups of students.
Record Disposal
 Records
containing Social Security
Numbers, grades or any non-directory
information about a student should be
shredded, not just thrown in the trash.
Special Hints for Faculty
To Avoid FERPA Violations –
Please:
Do Not use the SSN/Student ID to post grades.
 Do Not leave graded tests in a stack for students to
sort through.
 Do Not circulate a printed class list with the Student
Name and SSN/Student ID.

Faculty Hints, continued ….
To Avoid FERPA Violations –
Please:
Do Not provide anyone with student
schedules.
 Do Not provide anyone with lists of students
enrolled in your classes.
 Do Not include confidential information (i.e.
grades, #of credits) in a recommendation letter
without the written consent of the student.

Thank you for your attention
and cooperation in
protecting the privacy of our
students!
If you have further questions, please
contact the Registrar’s Office at
757-352-4094.